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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. net — after costs
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. kick — in football
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. tube — a container
  9. scale — size or range
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. scale — in music
  14. degree — an amount
  15. kid — to tease
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. fine — high quality
  18. tube — the underground
  19. degree — from a university
  20. march — the month
  21. kid — child
  22. fine — all right
  23. march — music
  24. degree — temperature

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com